Oklahoma Joe's® Rambler Tabletop Charcoal Grill – 19402088

This compact unit from Smoker Joe is the most practical, well made, functional smoker / grill I have ever used or owned in the past 40 years I have been using grills and smokers. It is simply outstanding. A true "Goldilock's / just right" unit for those that wish to cook 5 pounds or so -- give or take-- of meats at a time.A little charcoal - single layer- goes a long way in this grill, with less often being more!It's compact size and ability to raise and lower the coals as needed -- plus the adaptability of the stack's baffle and the body side vents-- allows on the fly temp control you just can't get on bigger units when cooking up smaller quantities of food. And requires just a minimal use of coals.A layer of briquettes or lump charcoal on the right side with a smoker box for chips or smaller wood chunks, with a stainless drip pan and meat on the grill plate to the left under the stack, allows a very small turkey, or large chicken -- or any other piece of meat you desire that serves two to four people -- to be smoked slowly to perfection. With far less hovering than it takes when using a larger capacity unit.Just take the right side grill plate out of the unit and put it off to the side and occasionally throw in four or five briquettes, or wood, if needed when doing a longer haul smoking and the unit will maintain great temperature with less fuss than the full sized units. As stated above. The unit is super effiecient.Also, again, just using coals on one side of the unit and that sides grill plate, allows enough space and adjustable heat to cook a family dinner, using a very minimal amount, single layer of briquettes to cook up a half dozen to ten chicken thighs. Or a crazy thick, 3 inch cut rib-eye steak.It really is amazing how efficient this compact unit is! It is also built like a tank. The perfect gauge steel for it's size, that is often used on larger units. But because of their larger surface area and cooling effect of that surface area, they just are not as efficient as this perfectly proportioned unit.I could write a short novella explaining all of the benefits of using this grill for regular 2 to 4 people family use. But the best thing I can say is, if you are looking for a durable, well proportioned, solidly constructed, efficient, compact grill that can also be used as a smoker, this is it!Recommendation: For use as a small smoker... When assembling, use some high heat silicone caulk around the base of the smoke stack to seal. Also, a strip of smoker gasket around the bottom of the lid.Gasket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TAJW0QE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1Silicone: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LRMEQYU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1Another upgrade I added was a "toggle latch" as shown in the link below, that allows me to clamp the lid down tight when smoking and sealing the unit completely.https://www.amazon.com/YUEPIN-Toggle-Stainless-Holding-Capacity/dp/B07S896GLP/ref=sr_1_29?crid=1QX8P5ZCFWJ1R&keywords=toggle+latch&qid=1685708326&s=hi&sprefix=toggle+latch%2Ctools%2C87&sr=1-29

This ugly little spud took about thirty minutes to assemble and ended with a hefty weight of about fifty pounds. No problems with parts, or parts mating with other parts. Very simplistic and functional in design. The charcoal tray works well and is designed to be lowered or raised to one of three heights. The idea behind the raising and lowering of the charcoal tray to it's three positions and how it locks the tray in place is proof that this little grill is well designed by those who have learned the lessons of their craft well. The charcoal tray is no light weight piece of 'burn through' sheet metal. It is good heavy stainless steel and will not burn through. The ash tray is sheet metal and is very easily removed for cleaning. The side air vent is designed to move very easily and top stack vent cover is spring loaded, snug and stay's in place. The rather heavy cast iron cooking grates will need to be seasoned. For those of you who may not know how to season iron whether BBQ grates or skillet. The process is very easy. Place a heavy coat of some sort of cooking oil on the iron that you wish to season. Olive oil, peanut oil, or coconut oil. Place the grate over a high heat and let it burn until it stops smoking. Then more oil, and more burning. This is repeated until a nice black glossy coat is built up on grates and iron is sealed. You are done. The size of cooking area is just about right for one large cut up freezer eagle or six good sized burgers. The one thing that you will notice upon construction of parts is that, this is no light weight basement deal BBQ grill. This is heavy duty and will last a lifetime. Or, until you feel a need to upgrade to a larger size. I like this little grill very much and do recommend it to any in need of a small grill that is just right for camping and back yard smoking needs. I even thought that this grill was actually made in Oklahoma. Oh well, thanks joe!

Decent build quality, easy to follow assembly instructions, and almost a perfect grill/smoker. So far, the only things I have noticed that are missing are a seal around lid to keep the smoke in and a dedicated drip hole for the fats. But, these are small things. The grill preforms very well and it is nice to be able to raise and lower to coals according to the type of grilling you are doing. Great for cooking meats Pittsburgh style/black and blue. It was well thought out, doesn’t include and nonsensical parts. Even the side handles are cool to the touch when the fire is roaring. I especially like the weight of the grill. You don’t have to worry about it accidentally being knocked over. Cleanup is a breeze with the ash tray in the bottom. And, yes, this is also where the fats are going to collect. I’m looking forward to many years of deliciousness. Thank you Oklahoma Joe.